The invention relates to space vehicles and more specifically to a space vehicle having an aerospike rocket engine and a space vehicle aerobrake integrated into its structure.
One of the problems with existing designs of space vehicles that utilize an aerobrake and bell nozzle rocket engines will now be discussed. An aerobrake is a large umbrella-like structure which is mounted forward of a space vehicle. Its purpose is to create atmospheric drag on a vehicle to reduce its speed instead of firing a rocket to obtain retrothrust. For various design considerations, space vehicles usually mount the aerobrake aft of the main rocket engines. This necessitates one or more door mechanisms in the aerobrake and requires engine extensions to allow engine operation. The doors must close and seal to a smooth surface to avoid localized aerodynamic heating problems and heat damage to equipment and propellant tanks behind the aerobrake. If a door fails to close, airstream leaks could cause components behind the aerobrake to be heated above 5500 degrees fahrenheit. Penetrating airstream forces could also cause the space vehicle to become unstable and fail to capture, or crash. The door size becomes a compromise between engine gimballing allowance and brake structural integrity. For these reasons, doors increase design complexity and risk.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved spacecraft with an aerospike engine that forms the central element of the aerobrake.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved integrated aerospike engine and aerobrake that eliminates the necessity for one or more door mechanisms in the prior art spacecraft that has the rocket engines extending from the center of the aerobrake.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel integrated aerospike engine and aerobrake in a spacecraft that allows more propellant or longer payloads to be carried when the vehicle is being boosted to a space launch point.